Attention, attention: Class is in session. Even though it's late April, Paul and I are heading back to school - the School of Roch that is - as MASNsports.com's Orioles beat writer Roch Kubatko joins us on the latest episode of the "MASN All Access" podcast. The Orioles are in a slump. Everyone knows that. They have lost three straight, are 1-9 in their last 10 games and are in last place 11 1/2 games back in the American League East. Are there any rays of sunshine in sight? Roch tries to...

SAN FRANCISCO - Bryce Harper is about to become the third Nationals player to have a youth baseball field named for him. The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation announced today it will be dedicating Bryce Harper Field at the Takoma Community Center in Northwest Washington in early May. The project was made possible through financial contributions from Harper and the Dream Foundation, in partnership with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. "I am excited and honored to participate in...

Jace Peterson is making his Orioles debut tonight as the Orioles begin their series against the Rays at Camden Yards. Peterson is starting at second base and batting ninth. The Orioles haven't announced the roster move, but Tim Beckham is expected to go on the disabled list. Trey Mancini is in left field. Chance Sisco is batting second. Alex Cobb faces his former team tonight after allowing 12 earned runs (15 total) and 20 hits over seven innings in his first two starts with the Orioles. He's...

If you've ever dreamed of sipping wine while discussing the intricacies of the curveball with Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez, mark Thursday, May 3 on your calendar and get out your checkbooks. That's the night Gonzalez will host his third annual Uncork for a Cause, when the pitcher, his teammates and special guests will gather from 6-9 p.m. at The Rooftop at F1RST Residences, a new rooftop entertainment space across from Nationals Park. The event will raise funds and awareness for The...

SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals have won only one of their last six games. That win came Friday night in Los Angeles, against Clayton Kershaw, which sounds improbable given the current state of the lineup except once you remember who pitched that game for the Nats: Max Scherzer. Today, the Nationals are going to need another effort from Scherzer - not to mention some runs against Jeff Samardzija - if they hope to at least head home on a positive note after a long and often difficult road...

Manager: Torey Lovullo (2nd season) Record: 17-7 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: LF David Peralta (.317 with 3 HR, 14 RBIs), CF A.J. Pollock (5 HR, 17 RBIs), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (4 HR, 11 RBIs), LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0, 1,89 ERA), RHP Zack Godley (3-1, 3.09 ERA), RHP Brad Boxberger (3.00 ERA, 6 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-4 in 2017) Pitching probables: April 27: RHP Zack Godley (3-1) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-2), 7:05 p.m., MASN2 April 28: LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0)...

The Nationals, needless to say, are not having a stellar start. For Nationals fans, it's like the world is ending. Twitter has been a tire fire in recent weeks, and all of the bad takes I've seen are astounding. I've seen calls to pack it up and go home, they're done. Trade away all the players. Burn it to the ground and start all over again. Admittedly, the Nationals have been pretty bad to start off the year. They've gone 10-14, hitting .230 overall and .218 with runners in scoring...

SAN FRANCISCO - What's the most important inning in a ballgame? For the Nationals right now, it might be the sixth. The Nats pitching staff has had all kinds of trouble navigating through that bridge inning without getting into serious trouble, and it has cost them several games along the way. The Nationals have been scored upon in the sixth inning in 11 of 24 games this season, including five of eight during this road trip and each of the last three nights. And those have been key runs...

SAN FRANCISCO - It felt like a potential turning point for a lineup desperately in need of one. Michael A. Taylor's three-run, opposite-field homer in the top of the fourth tonight at AT&T Park was exactly what the offensively starved Nationals needed, a jolt of life that left them tied with the Giants and chance to win this game if they simply made key pitches the rest of the way and delivered one more big hit. Then Tanner Roark failed to make one key pitch, and the Nats found themselves...

If there was ever a good time for a rainout, maybe last night was it for the Orioles. They were scheduled to begin a three-game series with Tampa Bay but got washed out at Camden Yards. The Orioles are trying to reverse a 6-17 start that has seen them lose nine of 10 and 11 of their past 13 games. They are just 3-7 at home, where they've scored only 19 runs in 10 games. Maybe a day away will be beneficial. With a 2-1 loss to Cleveland Monday night, the Orioles ended a stretch in which they...